A nice chunk of change was given Tuesday night to GraceWorks, a small local nonprofit that runs an afterschool program for needy kids. GraceWorks earned the blessing of a committee of 10 high school students put together by the Charlottesville Area Community Foundation; for 14 years, CACF has assembled the committee and given it the task of awarding a grant to a local nonprofit that serves youth.
This year, GraceWorks snagged $10,000 toward its mission of busing 20 disadvantaged Albemarle County school kids to a local farm after school four days a week; there they soak in a bucolic atmosphere, work on their homework, do fine arts and environmental activities, and eat a healthy dinner. Julie Baker, a Western Albemarle High School English teacher, and a number of volunteers keep the program going. Now they have a little more cash to support their efforts, and the committee of high school students has the enviable experience of being photographed handing out one of those comically oversize checks.